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Sunday, July 15, 2012

First Class Honours

The marks are in and I'm pleased to say that I will graduate with a first class honours BA degree in embroidered textiles from Middlesex University on July 20, 2012. The ceremony will take place at the university in London, England.
The above photograph is of me at the private view of the graduation exhibition, June 20. It was taken by my friend Wim.

Here is another photo that Wim took of me thanking Catherine Dormer, my tutor. I shall miss the stimulating tutorials that I had over the last few years with her and with other favourite tutors, Kay Swancutt, Liz Harding and Joan Richardson. Also in this photo you can see my dear Ned and also Wim's wife, my good friend of 40 years or so, Marjan. Marjan and Wim came over to London from the Netherlands to support me through these final days of the degree. x

Thank you to those who read this blog and have encouraged me through many thoughts and worries. Your support has been nourishing and I really have felt your caring

45 comments:

Heartfelt congratulations from a regular reader. I recently gave a presentation to students at the Haliburton School of the Arts, "Creativity & Aging: The Time of Your Life." Average age of attendees at the school is close to 60. I mention you and your work, and quote from the blog the passage about turning 60. You might like this quote also, from Stanley Kunitz, with my best wishes:

In my darkest night,when the moon was coveredand I roamed through wreckage,a nimbus-clouded voicedirected me:"Live in the layers,not on the litter."Though I lack the artto decipher it,no doubt the next chapterin my book of transformationsis already written.I am not done with my changes.

Heartfelt congratulations as well as on-going thanks for your blog. I recently gave a presentation at the Haliburton School of the Arts, where the average age of students is close to 60. The title is "Creativity & Aging: The Time of Your Life." There is a section where I mention and quote you:—Judy Martin is a textile artist who lives and works on Manitoulin Island.

She writes about one of her pieces:” The quilt . . . . [is] not finished. It’s like me. I’m not finished either. I feel that I'm on the brink of a new and simple way of working. Turning 60 is a huge deal and instead of denying it, I am celebrating it. I am aware that the time available for me is limited. I believe that my best work is yet to come.” In another posting she wrote that time is material. I love that idea. We are all being woven and stitched by our experiences as time goes on."

Am so behind in my blog visiting, Judy, but I could not pass up this post in my sidebar today....ooh, this is too, too wonderful ! I am so very pleased for you. What an amazing and greatly deserved outcome for all of your hard work, determination, and sensitive stitching. May you stitch on and on and on, an inspiration to so many of us. Thank you for all you share here.

Sending along so many congratulations and huge cheers coming from all of your friends in Kingston, ON.. where you have inspired, shared so many skills, brought your beautiful work to the community and continue to teach US lessons on deternmination, courage to move forward and just make ART!So many of us have grown through exposure to your knowledge, skills and inspired by your beautiful work. Many of us follow you daily in the blog, through news flashes and just word of your recent travels and accomplishments.

We know you will continue to focus on sharing,teaching and reaching out to put arms around the shoulders of those of us who struggle with our own projects and focus in on the important facets of creating textiles for the ages! THANK YOU, Judy. We are so very proud of you.

WOW!! Amazing! First class honours, you in your black dress, a glass of prosecco in hand! Now you can do your own thing -nothing related to the guidelines of the curriculum. I can't wait to see what you will be developing next.

Hi Judy, I've been following you with much pleasure for a little while now, but not through all the time you've taken to get your degree. How thrilling - you must have felt a great rush of achievement when you found out how well you'd done. I hope there isn't a sense of "what now", now you're finished.Many congratulations

congratulations. i am catching up on all the posts and i see that you have finished! and with honors! you have inspired me every time i come to your blog and for that i am grateful. i will be watching for what comes next!

Congratulations Judy on your well deserved first class honours. No one is surprisedI think all of us who follow your blog are soothed and calmed by your very being. Your calm quiet centre shows in your work and in your writing and we feel it. Thank you for bringing your calm peaceful , loving spirit into my world every day. You are truly an inspiration to us all. I am 77, but I want to be like you when I grow up. Marilyn